Ep. 50 What is the relationship between safety work and the safety of work
Oct 25, 2020
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The podcast discusses the struggle to define successful safety practices, the importance of risk assessment, and the impact of certain safety rules. They explore the roles of PhD candidates and supervisors, the importance of peer review, and the lack of evidence in safety work. The concept of different types of safety work is also discussed, as well as the relationship between industrial manslaughter laws and safety in organizations.
Different types of safety work may contribute differently to the overall safety of work, highlighting the need for critical reflection on their effectiveness and purpose.
Organizations should consider how they allocate time and resources to different types of safety work and explore potential trade-offs between them.
Positive reinforcement and spillover effects exist among different types of safety work, and understanding these dynamics can help effectively manage safety work activities.
Deep dives
The Relationship Between Safety Work and the Safety of Work
This podcast episode explores the relationship between safety work and the safety of work. Safety work refers to the various activities and practices that organizations implement to ensure safety. The main argument of the episode is that safety work does not necessarily have a direct and measurable impact on the safety of work. The episode introduces the concept of institutional work, which examines how people operate within organizational settings. The paper discussed in the episode proposes four types of safety work: administrative, demonstrated, social, and physical safety. These types of work may contribute differently to the overall safety of work. The episode highlights the need for organizations and safety professionals to critically reflect on the effectiveness and purpose of their safety work activities.
Competing Purposes of Safety Work
The podcast episode highlights that safety work activities within organizations often compete for attention and resources. This competition arises from different purposes and priorities associated with each type of safety work. For example, in industries like railways, there is significant emphasis on demonstrated safety work due to legal and regulatory requirements. However, placing excessive focus on one type of safety work may detract from other important areas. The episode encourages organizations to consider how they allocate time and resources to different types of safety work and explore potential trade-offs between them.
Mutual Reinforcement and Threats
The episode discusses how different types of safety work can mutually reinforce each other within organizations. Positive reinforcement occurs when improvements in one type of safety work have a positive effect on the quality and timeliness of other types of safety work. However, the episode also highlights that threats or challenges in one type of safety work can spill over into other areas. For example, a threat to physical safety can lead to increased administrative, social, and demonstrated safety work as organizations respond to the situation. Understanding these dynamics can help organizations effectively manage safety work activities in response to various challenges and opportunities.
Social Safety: Creating a Narrative of Safety
Social safety involves creating an internal narrative that emphasizes safety as a core value in the organization. This narrative is reinforced through various activities such as safety slogans, branded safety programs, and safety-focused meetings. The goal is to promote a consistent belief, understanding, and prioritization of safety within the organization.
Demonstrated Safety: Assurance for Stakeholders
Demonstrated safety focuses on assuring stakeholders outside the organization that the company is meeting its safety obligations. This involves activities like producing safety cases, risk assessments, obtaining licensing, and demonstrating compliance. The aim is to build trust and confidence in the safety of the organization's products and activities among regulators, customers, and the community.
A huge thank you to our listeners who have made this podcast such a success. We started this show with the hope that we could impact the safety of work in our community and beyond. To all who have shared this podcast, you are helping us reach people and potentially improve safety culture.
Topics:
The struggle to articulate what it means when we say a safety practice “works”.
How we titled our paper.
Putting together our own peer review.
Risk assessment.
The goal in writing their paper.
Categorizing safety work.
Why certain safety rules and requirements exist.
Casting a critical eye on your own organization.
Practical takeaways.
Quotes:
“...I could see that people put far more attention in real life on doing assessment and assurance activities, than they spend on insurance activities.”
“Social safety is very much conceptual work. It’s aimed at making safety be a value in the organization and letting the organization believe that it is a champion of safety.”
“We’re fairly sure that lots of the stuff we do in the name of safety...has some impact on the safety of work, but we don’t know which bits…”
